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The dramaturgy of Thomas Heywood 1594-1613

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Abstract

This dissertation is an attempt to describe the
characteristics of Thomas Heywood's dramatic style. The study is
divided into three parts. The first deals with the playwright's
theatrical career and discusses how his practical experience as
actor and sharer might have affected his technique as a dramatic
writer. The second part defines the scope of the investigation
and contains the bulk of the analysis of Heywood's plays. My
approach to the mechanics of playwriting is both practical and
theoretical. I have attempted to come to an understanding of the
technicalities of Heywood's craftsmanship by studying the changes
he made in Sir Thomas Moore and in the sources he used for his
plays. At the same time, I have tried to comprehend the aesthetic
framework within which he worked by referring to the critical ideas
of the period and especially to opinions expressed by Heywood himself
in An Apology for Actors and elsewhere. The third part of
the thesis is an application of the findings of Part Two to the
problems of authorship in Fortune by Land and Sea.
The thesis shows Heywood's emphasis on essentially
theatrical qualities such as visual effects and effects which can
be obtained by controlling the relationship of the actor to the
audience. It also illustrates his rejection of "Aristotelian" principles of dramatic construction in favour of "rules" derived
from the native morality and romance traditions'., and shaped by
contemporary theatrical conditions. It concludes that Heywood
is essentially a didactic artist but one interested in technical
experimentation and audience response.